The Long Road Home
by giratinastories
Summary: Arceus discovers something different. And the something discovers her. Now the Legends have been transformed into Space Marines, their powers stripped away. Only one thing is for sure. Friendships will be broken, betrayals will occur and brother turns on sister as the desperate struggle to survive in the 41st millennium becomes real. It's going to be a long road home.
1. 1: 40K

The Long Road Home

**Arceus discovers something different. And the something discovers her. Now the Legends have been transformed into Space Marines, their powers stripped away. Only one thing is for sure. Friendships will be broken, betrayals will occur and brother turns on sister as the desperate struggle to survive in the 41st millennium becomes real. **  
**It's going to be a long road home. **

Arceus had felt it since the beginning. But she had never felt the need to explore it like some humans would, instead letting it simply be. Curiosity overcame her however. Calling the Legends together, she used her powers to discover what it was. A portal, almost like a crack in reality instead of a door between two locations.  
Arceus made a choice - bringing her most trusted sons and daughters, she traveled through the portal, leaving the others behind to watch over the universe.  
Their universe. But they were about to take a step on the wrong territory.

* * *

Time since last contact with Arceus: 1 hour

* * *

Tzeentch had at last fooled the final Chaos God into the Warp. He felt it as the Warp's currents began to drift towards the individual. Travelling his titanic psychic essence through the stars, he could feel the psychic mark of the newcomer well before he approached.  
Willing himself to take on a slightly less intimidating form than the massive, eagle like bird, he changed into a ball of purest light.  
His plan was already spinning itself - he could only hope none of the other Chaos Gods interfered. This new god's aura was not raging like Khorne's or repulsive like Nurgle's, but more welcoming and brighter.  
He approached the newcomer. "State your name," it demanded, its psychic form a four-legged animal of some abominable description. "I am Arceus. What is this place?"  
Tzeentch almost laughed. This was too easy. "This is the Great Ocean, the Warp. All psychic power comes from here. There are predators here, so we must hurry. This place is but a conduit between your reality and mine," Tzeentch explained. He wasn't lying about a single word - he felt this would be easy pickings. He did, however, sense Arceus's power. If he didn't be rid of it soon, he might actually be defeated.  
"I bring others. Will it be safe for them to travel to your dimension, for study and catalogue?" Once again, Tzeentch had to suppress a cackle.  
"Of course," he replied, opening a portal. "I am Tzeentch, Lord of Change. I hope I'll see you on your return journey, because the other Chaos Gods aren't as hospitable as myself."  
"Thank you, Tzeentch." Arceus's essence nodded. "We will be passing through here again soon, so I'm sure we will go unnoticed."  
_You wish_, the Chaos God thought, but said, "Quickly, before the Daemons of the Warp find us."  
Arceus entered the warp gate Tzeentch had created, the other, weaker signals clinging to its light. Tzeentch finally transformed back to the true form of the Lord of Change, threw his head back and let out a roar of victory.  
"Welcome to the 41st Millennium, Arceus."  
He closed the gate, knowing what was waiting on the other side.

* * *

Time since last contact with Arceus: 3 hours (due to Warp travel)

* * *

I was betrayed.  
I knew this almost the moment I entered that gateway. I felt my powers desert me, my form forgo me. Tzeentch had all of us fooled.  
And what was worse, I had condemned my greatest creations to the same fate.  
When I came out of the portal, I had a second to see my new form - pristine, white armour was all I could make out before collapsing unconscious from the power drain. I see the others fall too, can recognise them from the shades of their armour. The blackness quickly overcame me.

I woke up.  
I didn't know how long I had been knocked out, but the others were not up yet - more or less as I expected. There was a silhouette moving in the smoke far away, which bore a similar outline to my new one.  
I can only hope it will not be hostile, but my hope is fragile now that I am essentially powerless.  
I take a moment to inspect my armour - lots of flat, curved plating, particularly on the shoulder pads. I felt a huge weight on my back and knew it must be some sort of jet pack, but there seemed to be no control.  
The others are stirring. Zygarde is the first to kneel. His hands (human - we all seem to be human,) go to his helmet, which is very angled, birdlike. His shoulder pads have white and green studs in them, alternating colours, while mine have my old form's golden ring on them, ornate and striking. I go over to Zygarde.  
"Arceus..." he whispers, his hands falling back down to his knees, "What has happened to us?"  
"We are betrayed." I replied. "Get as many of the others standing as you can." The dark shape in the smoke of the distance is closer. "Hurry," I add quietly.  
Zygarde nods. He goes to help Xerneas, who is on one knee, shocked.  
I manage to get Giratina and Dialga back on their feet before going to confront the silhouette. "Leave me to do this. If I do not return soon, run. Run as fast as you can." I tell my greatest creations before turning to walk towards what could possibly be my doom.  
Once I am within a certain distance, I see a weapon raised by the figure.  
"Chaos, or Astartes?" It asks, not faltering in tone or stance. I can only guess, and as we were betrayed by a Chaos God...  
"Astartes." I reply. The figure approaches, resolving into a yellow armoured warrior, a huge weapon in hand. It looks like a rifle of some sort.  
"Sorry, to which Chapter do you belong?" the yellow sentinel asks.  
To which chapter do I belong? I have no idea what that means, but I'll have to take a guess... "The Betrayed." I reply. If they exist - whatever a Chapter is - then excellent. If not, it's a fitting name.  
"I am not familiar with that Chapter. Are you part of the Cursed Founding?"  
So many questions, so little time to think of answers. "Yes."  
The armoured human nods, before turning away. "I've got a member of another Chapter lost here, requesting pickup,"  
"Wait," I call. "I have others with me. We've been stranded here for some time." Hopefully all these little lies wont work against me in the future.  
"Gather your men, then. My Captain is sending two Rhinos our way." he comments, before turning away again, evidently communicating with his Captain.  
I rush back to the others, who are thankfully all back up by this point. "I have found us aid. We will have to trust this person, as he may be our only way home. You are now members of a Chapter called the Betrayed, and we originated during the Cursed Founding. Keep this in mind at all times. I will explain later."  
We march together back to the yellow warrior, two large metal boxes of the same hue near him. It's only on closer inspection I realise these are vehicles - they look nothing like the ones our humans made, as these are brutish and unsubtle.  
"I thought that you were only one Chapter. Why do you have such varying colours?" I'm going to answer wrong sooner or later...  
"We only have these soldiers left. They have been allowed to customise their armour." I say solemnly, trying to be sincere. "Which Chapter do you belong to?"  
The warrior cocks his head. "How long have you been stuck in the Warp, brother? I am an Imperial Fist - we are one of the most famous chapters out there, you know!" He shakes his head. "Just pick a Rhino, take half your men and put the other half in the other Rhino."  
"Giratina." I call out, turning on the spot.  
"Yes, Arceus!" he calls back. He steps out of line from the others (I'll have to give them credit, they certainly don't _look_ like they are lost in an alternate universe) and salutes.  
"Take half the Chapter and go into that transport," I gesture to the leftmost Rhino, "I will take the remainder and enter the other."  
Giratina splits the line in half, leading one group into the tank with only a cautious glance back at me before the ramp begins to close. I lead the others into the opposite Rhino, and as the boarding ramp closes behind us we are bathed in pale green, red, yellow and blue; the colours of our glowing visors.  
The Imperial Fist sits across from me. I hope he doesn't question me any longer, but he doesn't seem to. Until, of course...  
"Where are your armaments?" he questions, patting his gun, laid across his lap.  
"We lost them to our enemies. We fought our way out with our bare hands, but we couldn't salvage the weapons." It seemed pretty convincing to me, anyway.  
"Tyranid bio-acid... Damnable creatures."  
Tyranids. They are the enemy then? I have to make so many guesses simply to stay alive for another five seconds.  
The Rhino suddenly takes a massive impact... from below. The bay lurches forward, before bypassing its centre of gravity and flipping over with a screeching of metal. The ramp is crushed inwardly so that we cannot escape.  
The Imperial Fist takes off his harness, and I take after him. The others eject too, falling out and collapsing onto the ceiling of the vehicle, overturned so it was now beneath our feet. We both - myself and the Fist - rush to the ramp, before simultaneously shoulder barging it, causing it to break off. The others are all behind us, as me and the Fist run out to face whatever flipped us. We see the point of a tail, serpentine and huge, sink underground in the direction of the other Rhino. The Fist throws me a weapon similar to his own, and I command the others to take cover. They rush to hide behind the wreckage of the Rhino.  
We see a huge maw, followed by a bulbous head attached to a spiked body with six huge, sharp blades on its arms, emerge from the ground. This beast must be a Tyranid, and what an ugly bastard it is.  
"_Mawloc_!" The Fist bellows and opens fire - I follow his example as the monster closes on the vehicle. The Rhino comes to a halt and Giratina's group disembark, probably investigating the gunfire. The tail smashes the Rhino in half, the metal box crushed under the sheer power of the appendage.  
Giratina and the others with him are dodging its blades, but one (Kyogre?) falls underneath a swipe and is ran through, armour easily torn through by the blade, puncturing right through her. I cry out.  
"KYOGRE!"  
Kyogre is lifted from the ground by the beast, the blade still punctured through her armour, slowly dying it from a soothing blue to a angry red.  
The Tyranid jerks the blade, it slicing up through her shoulder, and erupting from her body in a fine, red mist. I see her in her dying breath struggle to see me, try to look me in the eyes one last time. But she collapses forward into the dirt.  
She is dead.  
And I swear, the Tyranid will be the next to die.

* * *

Time since last contact with Arceus: 6 hours

* * *

And that's all you're getting for Chapter 1. Suggest what side (Heretics or Loyalists) you want your favourite Legends to join up to. Even if someone has already made a suggestion, you can still have a go. But follow the Giratinastories policy and only review to review. PM me if you want to give me an idea as to who should go to where.

Current Allegiance Chart:  
**Arceus: Loyal: Locked to loyal. **  
**Giratina: Loyal **  
**Dialga: Loyal **  
**Palkia: Loyal **  
**Zekrom: Loyal **  
**Reshiram: Loyal **  
**Kyurem: Loyal **  
**Xerneas: Loyal **  
**Yveltal: Loyal **  
**Zygarde: Loyal **  
**Rayquaza: Loyal **  
**Kyogre: Deceased (sorry, but I'm gonna be merciless.) **  
**Groudon: Loyal **  
**Lugia: Loyal **  
**Ho-Oh: Loyal **

(Subject to popularity)

**Dark Rust: Loyal **  
**The Bittercold: Loyal**

Don't look at the word Loyal too long or it'll stop looking like English. Anyway, UPDATES PLANNED SOON, VERY SOON. Has anybody done this crossover before?  
_'I have travelled far and seen much. Yet nothing warms my heart so much as a gun so massive the entire world trembles beneath its fury.'_  
Brother - Sergeant Antaro Chronus of the Ultramarines


	2. 2: Ahriman and Titus

The Long Road Home

* * *

Arceus discovers something different. And the something discovers her. Now the Legends have been transformed into Space Marines, their powers stripped away. Only one thing is for sure. Friendships will be broken, betrayals will occur and brother turns on sister as the desperate struggle to survive in the 41st millennium becomes real.  
It's going to be a long road home.

I could feel my heart racing as the Tyranid struck out again, this time narrowly missing one of my chosen. I rush at it, sprinting as fast as the (surprisingly light) armour will allow me to. I take up the weapon into an aim, focusing down the iron sights, pinpointing the head of the monster.  
Pulling in the trigger, the bolts explode from the barrel at an incredibly high speed, but this counts for little as they harmlessly chink off of the Tyranid's armour.  
The thing turns toward me, its mouth wide, and begins to charge for me instead. It swings in a wide arc but I dodge it, just managing to avoid the swipe. Another swing connects, slicing my left arm open.  
I am already losing my will to fight, regretting my decision to take it on, but the monstrosity is looming above me. It hisses for a brief moment before plunging downward to consume me.  
It is about three meters away when it's right eye suddenly explodes, showering my white armour with purple blood, the gore spattering the ground around me. I look over and see the Imperial Fist aiming carefully down the weapon's rail, the barrel smoking. My team had extracted weapons from the smoking Rhino, and are also providing covering fire.  
The Mawloc lurched back, screeching its pain to the skies. The brightness of the sun the Mawloc had blocked out suddenly returned, but I was unfazed and fired another salvo into its stomach, the high caliber rounds piercing its flesh and causing its body to rupture. I almost instinctively knew where I would find a melee weapon - reaching for my hip I felt the hilt of a knife.  
Sliding it free, I quickly saw this was no mere knife, but instead a majestic sword, quite unlike a katana or a claymore but very even with a hollowed interior. The interior of the sword itself was not hollow, no, but there was a thin gap running along the centre.  
The blade ignited in my grip, and dropping the rifle, I swung two handed. The sword became alight with crackling electricity and shining bright blue arcs as I went for the monstrous head, sinking it deep into the Tyranid's neck.  
I felt a great satisfaction, immediately followed by worry. The thing was still alive.  
The beast shakes me off, flinging me into the dust of the desert world. I feel powerless to move, my sword still in its meaty neck, my weapon lying far away, the bastard creature swiping its tail at another of my greatest.  
I get back up. My joints ache, my arm burns, but my willpower overcomes it. I am just about to charge again when it happens.  
A figure of night black appears, rushing from behind me, its weapon a blur of spiked teeth. It ignores me, and I recognise the silhouette - its one of us, the armour similarly shaped, curved and formed.  
The beast is halfway turned toward the dark armoured saviour when he leaps up, his weapon revving as a chainsaw would, and the sun glints off of a blue shoulder pad, a white 'U' visible. He swings upward, two handed, and the Mawloc's head is removed in a shower of purple. The chainblade begins to slow, and we all congregate around the corpse.  
The sword is pulled out of the neck and returned to me by the warrior in black plate, who's helmet is attached to his thigh armour now through some magnetic lock.  
"You may need this yet," he suggests. I shrug.  
"You'd do better with it." I reply, quite sincerely - I'm already regretting not going for a coup de grâce as he did.  
His face is much younger than I'd have expected a warrior of his stature to be, with tar black hair and a quiet, neat gleam in his eyes. I wasn't sure what the gleam meant - madness, strength, courage - probably all three. He had two studs punched in just above his eyebrow (I'd later find this was not some superhuman fashion but a mark of how long a warrior had served.)  
"No, brother, I prefer the chainsword." he replied. "Captain Titus, of the Deathwatch. And you are?"  
"Arceus, leader of The Betrayed chapter." I replied, sensing my warriors (not warriors, I had to remind myself, children) forming up behind me.  
"A Chapter Master?" Titus asked and kneeled before me.  
"It is I who should be kneeling before you," I say. "We are in your debt." To underline this, I decide to kneel, hearing my Chapter imitate me. As I straighten up, I see the Imperial Fist looking at his wrist studiously. He taps a button and walks over to Titus.  
"Captain, Inquisitor Thrax has sensed the Chaos taint again. We must hurry back to the Late Winter." he reported urgently.  
"These warriors must come with us. They are brave, and the Emperor knows the Imperium needs more soldiers who act on impulse." Titus says, replacing his helmet. I think of the backwardness of his logic, but don't comment on it.  
"We do not have the inquisitor's approval, sir." The Imperial Fist argued.  
"A Chapter Master far outranks an Inquisitor. Chapter Master Arceus, you and your warriors can come with us." Titus pressed on. "Jonah, we must move."  
Jonah, the Imperial Fist, nodded.  
"Captain, what shall we do with the body of my Marine?" I asked, kind of stung that he hadn't brought the subject up.  
"What do you want to do?" He asks.  
"Groudon, Rayquaza?" I ask.  
"Let's just... Just leave her in peace." Rayquaza replies, and Groudon nods silently.  
"Her?" Titus asks.  
"I'll explain later." I say, as we begin the long march to our destination.  
Titus pauses in his march, but continues on seconds later.

* * *

We are spacebound. My sons and daughters are quite silent, but I am determined to have all my questions answered. As such, I have taken Titus and am asking what demands answers.  
"Our home is far from here, in another universe entirely. We must find a way back. We are not real warriors, the kind that you know, but are gods, from another dimension."  
"In that case," Titus replies, "I cannot help you, as to do so would be heresy against the Emperor. How can I know you are not Chaotic creations?"  
"We were betrayed by a Chaos God!" I roar. "We could destroy them if we were returned to our true forms!"  
"Destroy Chaos?" Titus asks, incredulous. "Next you'll be telling me you can exterminate the Tyranids."  
"We can, and will. But you must understand that we do not know anything about this universe."  
Titus still remains resolute. "I cannot aid you. But I will tell you what you wish to know."  
"What am I." I ask, hoping he'll understand my meaning.  
"You are a Space Marine, one of the Emperor's finest. We all have different skills and genetic modifications, and the weapons we use are designed to bring purity to the foes of the Emperor. The holy bolter you are already familiar with," he comments, pointing out the weapon Jonah gave me. "We are beset on all sides by aliens, heretics and mutants."  
I nod, trying to take in the information. He's telling me of a place where war is constant - a place where you will not be missed, no matter what you do, because there's always a new threat.  
"I will teach you how to work as an Astartes. How to become a Space Marine, and how to display the Emperor's Fury."  
Titus takes me through a gruelling training session. I fire bolters, use my power sword, stamp out xenos, clear a fortress and assassinate a target. It's all a training course but by the end my (now) twin hearts are beating rapidly even with a third lung to compensate.  
"1 minute, fifty one seconds." Titus calls. "I've seen Scouts do better."  
"I'd like to see you do it, then."  
He charges through as though the world is on fast forward, destroying the targets with impunity and rage.  
"45 seconds." I relent. "I'd like to see how my squad does."  
"**ALL HANDS- PREPARE FOR WARP ENTRY**." A large speaker boomed the command down into the gymnasium.  
"What was that?" I ask.  
"We are about to travel through the Warp." Titus answers, looking up.  
The ship shudders and quakes, causing me and Titus both to stumble in our armour. The corridors are filled with panicked shouts. "Steel your mind." Titus commands, and I do so - closing my eyes and my mind shutting off quickly, bracing itself for reasons I don't yet know.  
"**WARP ENTRY ACHIEVED**."  
I breathe out, my armour magnifying the sound into a metallic rattle.  
Then it happens - the entire deck flips upside down and a terrible screech fills the room. By upside down, I mean we are still standing on the floor but looking down at what was the ceiling a moment ago.  
My eyes widen and I hear whispers in the corners of my hearing, promising me power. Titus goes over to me. "Fight the Chaos!" he calls, but it is easy enough for me.  
"I have power." I tell the voices. "I do not need yours."  
"Arceus, we must hurry back to your squadron. They know not about the taint of Chaos." Titus takes the bolter with him, and I follow, bolter in one hand and power sword in the other. We reach the barracks to find horrors unimaginable. Human troopers, Imperial Guard, are firing lasguns into a thick red mist, which more and more disgusting creatures appear from.  
They are shrieking constructs of red flesh and horned skulls, glowing eyes filled with bloodlust. I see a flaming blade cleave directly through a Guardsman's skull, the bone slumping and sliding off his body with a wet smack on the hullplate. Titus revs the chainsword and my power sword ignites, the electricity arcing around my swings as I launch myself at the Chaotic daemons.  
I force my blade into ones fanged mouth, pulling it to the side and slicing through its cheek. It explodes into flames as my bolter blasts another into oblivion. My sword clashes with another. Me and the Daemon behind the other sword struggle before I lean back, dodge under its guard and separate it from its legs. I drive the sword through another as my bolter runs dry. Reloading, I am caught off guard and forced down. Me and a Daemon engage in a brief struggle, its hissing breath sparking proximity warnings. At the last second before I am overcome, Titus seizes its neck and grinds his chainsword along its throat, spilling dark blood. My armour is covered in it as the flames disintegrate the body of the creature. I push myself back up and blast the legs off of a howling daemon, the sword it was brandishing burning into the deck.  
Titus is beside me, swinging his chainsword with extreme speed and strength. He cleaves arms and legs off, heads and blades spinning away against the force. I raise the bolter and destroy the chest cavity of a charging Chaos daemon running at Titus's blind side. The fog finally recedes and we can breathe for a moment.  
Then, "Back to the squad." I remind myself, and we take off at a run. When we arrive there, another rift has opened, but this time beings like us, in huge power armour, are stepping out and opening fire.  
Giratina and Yveltal are directing the others, launching bolts into the enemies. Red, green, blue and purple soldiers escape the portal, opening up on my children.  
Me and Titus pour volleys into the nearest and most dangerous enemies. I put a bolt into a Chaos Marine's head, the hammer slipping from his fingers as his head explodes.  
Blue armoured warriors, wearing strange helmet trims prove almost invulnerable, constantly whispering, _'all is dust..._' Another blue figure launches lightning from his fingers, electrocuting Giratina. Giratina's bolter clangs agains the metal, the barrel still smoking from his payloads. I reach out but he's on the floor, his helmet face down. He is grabbed by two of the armoured blue traitors.  
With a jolt of horror I see him thrown into the rift.  
Yveltal falls before a chain axe resulting in his arm cleaved off. He too is thrown into the portal. I see more and more taken from me. Zygarde's head explodes next to me and I almost vomit.  
Xerneas is on her knees before the purple traitors. They are bombarding her senses with all manner of stimuli - sound, light and smells - she is carried, unprotesting into the vortex.  
I finally give way to sheer rage, sprinting at the purple ones. They turn to me, point their weapons, and I cut them all in two within a few scant seconds. Their intestines slide out of their armour and the red Marines turn to me.  
"BLOOD! BLOOOOD! BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD!"  
Followers of Khorne. I dodge wild swings, roll under violent claws and turn away blades destined otherwise for my neck. I slice an arm off. Catching a chain axe, I lob it into another traitor's throat, hearing the corrupted Astartes choking on the axe.  
Titus rams his chainsword through breastplates, shattering them asunder and grinding insides. Raising my sword I bring it down on another traitor, a blue one.  
_"All... is... dust."_  
Instead of blood, dust spills from his armour. His optic lights slowly fade. A hiss of another world is heard as his spirit dies.  
The blue champion, the one who used Warp powers to force Giratina to submit, is still alive. I run at him, and he turns to me.  
I hear cries from my team as flames wash over my armour. I keep running.  
A staff, curved like a shepherd's, slams into me. He has smashed it into my pauldron, launching ethereal lightning through it.  
I collapse.  
"Ahriman!" I hear Titus bellow.  
"Captain Titus." His voice is smooth and even, much unlike the dark whisper I expected. "Leave me in peace to destroy this soul, throw it into the Great Ocean."  
Titus revs the chainsword. "Let it be known I have killed a sorcerer before. I killed a Daemon Prince. Let it be known, indeed, and choose what you do next wisely."  
Looking up, I see Titus has flipped his chainsword and is holding it by the teeth ready to throw it into Ahriman's head. The traitors and my loyalists have paused.  
"Nemeroth was a fool. My warp energies are far beyond his." Ahriman unleashed a torrent of psychic energy. Titus sagged under the onslaught. "There is no power beyond my understanding. You would do well to remember that. Words spoken by a Primarch, a fool. Do not underestimate me, Titus."  
The moment broke and my heart lifts in proudness as my squad fires their bolters directly at Ahriman. An invisible shield protects him, and I almost hear him sigh. "We have the future Chaos champions. Retreat."  
"You will not make my own children turn against me!" I declare, standing and throwing myself at Ahriman.  
Without so much as a glance, he casts me into the wall. I feel my strength leave me, watching the Chaotic forces retreating behind their invisible shields. "No..." The blackness has me.

* * *

Current Allegiance Chart:  
Arceus: Loyal: Locked to loyal.  
Giratina: UNKNOWN  
Dialga: Loyal  
Palkia: Loyal  
Zekrom: Loyal  
Reshiram: Loyal  
Kyurem: Loyal  
Xerneas: UNKNOWN  
Yveltal: UNKNOWN  
Zygarde: Deceased  
Rayquaza: Loyal  
Kyogre: Deceased  
Groudon: Loyal  
Lugia: Loyal  
Ho-Oh: Loyal

Thanks for the review, Chaos Knight 16! Remember, time is running out for deciding where the squad's loyalties lie.

_'In dedicato imperato ultra articulo mortis.'_  
-Legion of the Damned motto


	3. 3: Dust

The Long Road Home

Arceus discovers something different. And the something discovers her. Now the Legends have been transformed into Space Marines, their powers stripped away. Only one thing is for sure. Friendships will be broken, betrayals will occur and brother turns on sister as the desperate struggle to survive in the 41st millennium becomes real.  
It's going to be a long road home.

* * *

I wasn't even unconscious. I opened my eyes, the light returning swiftly. The portals were gone, and as I returned to my feet I let out a cry of rage. Titus tried to calm me, but his words were lost to my blood rushing. "How? How do we follow them?" I asked him. "You have to know!"  
Titus shook his head. "A moment in the warp can equal madness. We would spend decades looking for them."  
I screech in pain, falling to my knees. "Damn you!" I shout at the heavens. I punch the hull plate, denting it with a fist - shaped mark.  
"Arceus-"  
"DAMN YOU!" I repeated, smashing my other fist into the plate. I panted, tired from rage more than anything else.  
Titus kicks me, sending me sprawling on the deck. I hear the clicks of weapons raised. Other Space Marines that fought by our side have all raised their weapons at my warriors, who've aimed theirs at Titus.  
I raised my head. "At ease." If I decided to confront him, it would only lead to violence.  
Titus's helmet tipped down a little. "Don't lose yourself." He extended his hand to me. "Sorry, Chapter Master."  
I brush his arm aside and stand with a groan. Even that sounds intimidating through my helmet. "I have to find them."  
Titus sighs. "You'd better be planning on living a long time."

* * *

Time since last contact with Arceus: 5 days

* * *

Giratina stood. He was in a crystalline room, another power - armoured figure cross legged on the floor in front of him. The figure was blue, an elegant headdress on his helmet and horn like structures curving around it. He seemed to have not noticed Giratina waking.  
He was in a meditation like state, his hands out in the cool air. He was muttering some unintelligible dialogue.  
"Welcome." he whispered. "I am Ahzek Ahriman of the Thousand Sons. All is dust."  
Giratina scowled. "Where am I?" He shook Ahriman. "What did you do to me?" Ahriman's helmet slowly peered up at Giratina.  
Without warning, a psychic blast issued from Ahriman threw Giratina all the way across the room. Ahriman hadn't even moved.  
"Do not be so insolent." Ahriman complained. Giratina struggled back up. "What do you want with me?"  
Ahriman still didn't seem to be looking at him. "You have a great potential, Giratina." His voice was no more than a whisper. "We are on the planet of the sorcerers. My master, Tzeentch, has awaited your arrival."  
Giratina recognised the name. Ahriman stood, the armour creaking. "Here. Follow me."  
Giratina was reluctant, but couldn't see another choice. He followed Ahriman out, onto a hell. The sky was a seething mass of ambition and change, more focused on what it could be than what it was. The warp shifted and shook, not one feature fixed. The planet was obsidian black, blue Space Marines like sentries. Giratina was shocked by the terrible beauty of the place.  
Ahriman looked at him. "Chaos is not a terrible thing. It is just as beautiful as it is horrendous. The only way you can ever return is by using all the assets available. But be warned. Refuse this, and all shall be dust once more."  
"Dust?"  
"Another tale, another time." Ahriman waved him away. "Will you follow us? Become a Thousand Son?" Ahriman asked.  
Giratina folded his arms. "I don't have much of a choice."  
Ahriman tilted his head to the left. "Indeed. Now, let me teach you the ways of the warp."

* * *

Yveltal was awash with blood. "More!" he bellowed. "Is that the best you've got?" Four score daemons lay dead at his feet, his chainaxe revving. A Chaos Space Marine - a Word Bearer - charged at him. Yveltal ran to meet him and cut his legs off, rolling under the swipe of the mace.  
This time a Death Guard attacked, bolts flying from his pustulated bolter.  
Yveltal stepped aside, before crushing the warriors head. A Thousand Son came for his head, a bolt of lightning growing in his fist as he swung his power sword. Yveltal cut his arm off, grabbing the sword and lodging it in the Son's throat.  
Yveltal span on his heel and threw the chainaxe at another Chaos Space Marine. He gurgled as it broke his ossified ribcage and ground his innards. Yveltal fought bare handed, tearing off a Night Lord's head. An Alpha Legionnaire grabbed him from behind, but Yveltal sunk the Night Lord's combat blade into the green warrior's helm, hearing the skull give.  
A hulking monster sprinted at him - he would later know it as a Helbrute. It grabbed him in it's power fist, spitting rage at him. It squeezed Yveltal, his armour starting to buckle, electricity coursing over him.  
Not to be defeated, he went for the arm socket and pulled its arm off. He threw it across the arena. The crowd cheered as the Helbrute began to charge its Lascannon.  
Yveltal dodged the shot. The Helbrute let out a mechanical roar as it shot again, this time hitting Yveltal and buckling his armour. Another shot would kill him. The Lascannon charged again but Yveltal used the Death Guard's body as a meat shield, running at the Helbrute. His momentum took the Helbrute down, whereupon he tore it to pieces in his rage.  
"Try! Impress me!"  
A Chaos Space Marine, wearing no armour on his arms and revealing his thick muscle, entered the arena. He raised his chainaxe, and the crowd screamed. "Khârn! Khârn! Khârn!"  
Khârn looked around, before raising the axe. "BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD!" The crowd went wild as Khârn threw himself at Yveltal. Yveltal dodged the first swipe, the second knocking him down and the third flying for his neck. The Space Marine was skilled.  
Yveltal's wrist deflected the haft of the axe, which swiped at his head again. Yveltal lay down so that the weapon whistled over his head, the chainaxe spitting and churning.  
Khârn's gloved hand forced Yveltal down. Yveltal and Khârn struggled for control of the axe. The crowd took in a breath collectively. Khârn managed to control the axe and shred Yveltal's pauldron with the teeth of the blade.  
Yveltal's free hand went for the Death Guard bolter. His fingers fumbled at the gun butt, trying to slip it into his palm. Khârn pushed the axe further and it split Yveltal's shoulder before severing his arm off. Yveltal escaped the hold, grabbed the bolter and rolled over to Khârn - not enough time to scream, he figured - and promptly had the bolter smashed from his hand to have it clatter down six meters away.  
Khârn's greave stood upon Yveltal's breastplate. Khârn removed his bolt pistol from his holster and placed it against Yveltal's helm.  
"Well, go on then!" Yveltal chided. "Make your god happy!"  
Khârn threw his bolt pistol aside. "You can make the Blood God happy." Khârn pulled Yveltal upright. "Become my apprentice, and we can let the galaxy burn together." Yveltal considered. He had certainly enjoyed the violence, and now he could destroy his enemies instead of being told to forgive them by Arceus.  
"Blood for the Blood God." Yveltal shook Khârn's hand.  
Khârn laughed. "No, BLOOD! BLOOD! FOR! THE! BLOOD! GOD!" He raised both their hands into the air, the crowd screaming at the violence and blood they had witnessed. The steel bars keeping the cultist crowd away shook as they cried their pleasure.  
Yveltal felt guilty for a second, but it was quickly dispelled.

* * *

Xerneas had already accepted Lucius's offer. She had joined the cults of Slaanesh. She was working at the armour, filling it with combat drugs and life. She was a noise marine, firing sonic weapons and using the very stimuli of being as a way of paining their opposition.  
She had succumbed to a bombardment of noises and lights, completely overloading her sensory systems, but now she was in charge. Not Arceus. Not the Emperor's Children.  
She was torturing the slave workers, laughing manically while blasting them with booming sounds that burst the eardrums but felt like a breeze to her. They were forced to build monuments to the Prince of Pleasure, Slaanesh him or herself. Xerneas still didn't understand why her powers had failed her but knew she would have willingly followed Slaanesh - a lifetime of fun and torture and rape and slaughter. Somehow they didn't go hand in hand. Xerneas's armour was already blinding - all the shades of the rainbow, shimmering and reflecting around her. She would be able to intimidate or encourage at a whim.  
"MOVE!" She ordered the slaves, kicking one in the back and feeling their spine snap beneath the force. She figured that she might as well kill them and a loud blast from the sonic gun made the slave's head explode, brain and skull flinging onto her armour.  
She tutted and kicked the corpse, the bones smashing and fragmenting from the force. The other slaves voiced their fear, but Xerneas was not listening.  
Another Emperor's Child arrived, clanging his fist on her shoulder to get her attention. "Brother Xerneas, you have been called by Lucius to a meeting on deck C."  
Xerneas felt a hate boil inside of her. She was a god once. Why did she have to listen to this mortal's crap? She raised the weapon and with one shot crumpled his armour. She shot him again and he exploded, gore spraying everywhere. His helmet lay at her feet.  
"Who the fuck did you think you were talking to, huh? Who the FUCK? I'm a god, you CUNT!" Xerneas crushed the helmet in her gauntlet. Deck C. She let the powder of the ceramite armour fall from her fingers before striding away.

* * *

Typhus and Ahriman were already at the planet's surface - they were waiting for Khârn and Lucius's arrival with their champions. Typhus had introduced his apprentice, Zekrom, to Ahriman. Ahriman had in turn shown Typhus Giratina and his new psychic power.  
Giratina and Zekrom had exchanged brotherly words, glad to see each other alright. Now, however, Zekrom was trying to prevent his armour from rusting solid. Giratina was rising through the Enumerations and surfing the Great Ocean with Ahriman.  
Lucius and Khârn appeared with blinding flashes, teleporting to the surface. Yveltal and Xerneas went to embrace their kin, but Giratina was in an advanced state of meditation and physically untouchable due to a wall of psychic energy.  
Yveltal's replacement arm, cut off of a previous Chaos Champion, bore huge lightning claws on the fingers of the robotic hand and was already sparking in the decaying presence of Typhus.  
"Are we ready? To take the reins from the fool Abaddon and let the galaxy burn under Chaos?" Khârn growled. It was clear he had been waiting for this.  
"So it would seem." Typhus moaned. His armour creaked and crunched as he stood.  
"But, we must elect a leader." Lucius slithered, hissing his words.  
The Champions of Chaos looked upon one another. "Apprentices, step back." Ahriman commanded. With unease, they did as they were told.  
Typhus was the first to act, his joints cracking as his bulk charged for Khârn. Khârn sidestepped and dodged Lucius's rapier. Khârn threw a challenging blow with his chainaxe at Ahriman, who rolled neatly away and fired a bolt of change at Typhus. Typhus charged right through it, the herald of decay impervious to such energies. Ahriman threw Lucius into Typhus's path, breaking Nurgle's champion's run. Khârn swung for Typhus only for it to be blocked by Lucius.  
The combatants were inches away, a organised, efficient mass of moves that in no way resembled Chaos. Even the madly screaming Khârn had a beautiful pattern to his moves. If Khârn showed grace, Ahriman embodied it, spinning and striking and sliding out of danger. Typhus was not fast, but was tough. Khârn had already cut Typhus's helmet, blood spilling through the crevice, but Typhus made no sound.  
The battle was a swinging group of colourful thrusts, flames and power. A whip cracked, Ahriman's rage at Lucius's underhand attack manifesting itself as a fireball. Lucius was thrown from the combat by Khârn.  
Typhus was electrocuted by Ahriman. The Death Guard champion's armour overloaded, its huge weight crunching as the giant fell.  
Khârn and Ahriman fought evenly matched. Yveltal and Giratina were both itching to see their teacher come out on top. Ahriman was swelling with ethereal energy, Khârn protected by his sheer rage.  
The two fought for a whole hour. The sun was setting when the apprentices joined the fight. Giratina used the psychic potential he had to summon lightning bolts from his fingertips. Yveltal used a mighty chainsword to swing at Ahriman, but was blasted back by Giratina. Khârn slipped, his composure dropping, but Yveltal blocked the heqa staff headed for Khârn.  
The four continued to duel. Giratina was tossed aside by Khârn, while Yveltal was blasted away by Ahriman. The chainaxe clashed with the heqa staff, huge powers vying for dominance.  
The two both leaned in, Khârn still muttering, "Blood... Blood." Ahriman was starting to falter. He fell back, but as Khârn leapt, his heqa staff whipped through the air in a wide arc, pushing Khârn away.  
Ahriman stood quickly, psychic powers knocking Khârn back. "I win." Ahriman declared.  
"Aye." Khârn spat.  
Typhus and Lucius shook their heads in disappointment.  
"I shall lead the new black crusade." Ahriman joyously proclaimed. "And... LET THE GALAXY BURN!"  
He faced Giratina. "All is dust."  
"All is dust." Giratina agreed.

* * *

Current Allegiance Chart:  
Arceus: Loyal: Locked to loyal.  
Giratina: **Chaos:** Tzeentch  
Dialga: Loyal  
Palkia: Loyal  
Zekrom: **Chaos:** Nurgle  
Reshiram: Loyal  
Kyurem: Loyal  
Xerneas: **Chaos:** Slaanesh  
Yveltal: **Chaos:** Khorne  
Zygarde: Deceased  
Rayquaza: Loyal  
Kyogre: Deceased  
Groudon: Loyal  
Lugia: Loyal  
Ho-Oh: Loyal

_'I have dug my grave in this place, and I will prevail or I will die!'_ - Chaplain Grimaldus, Hero of Helsreach 


End file.
